Adults are less likely to get ear infections than children, but they can be more dangerous because of this.
Ear infection in an adult has to be detected and treated by a doctor to avoid problems.
Some persons are more susceptible to ear infections than others because of certain circumstances and behaviors. There are, however, a number of helpful activities that may be performed to prevent and cure the disease. Find out more about them in the next article.
Causes
Eustachian tubes extend from the center of the ear to the back of the throat. Fluid from the middle ear drains through this tube. Eustachian tube blockage can lead to fluid accumulation. Infection can result when this happens. When fluid or infection beneath the eardrum does not go away, it becomes a chronic ear infection, which can be quite painful.
A persistent ear infection may be caused by one or more of the following:
- acute otitis media that doesn’t go gone entirely
- Infections of the ear.
When the middle ear or mastoid region becomes inflamed and inflamed, the condition is known as “suppurative chronic otitis,” and it will not go away.
Children’s eustachian tubes are smaller, narrower, and more horizontal than those of adults, making them more susceptible to ear infections. In comparison to acute ear infections, long-term ear infections are quite rare.
Risk factors
Ear infections can be caused by a number of things, including:
- When you’re younger (children aged 6 months to 2 years)
- Child care in a group
- laying down and giving a baby a bottle
- Factors that affect the season (autumn and winter)
- Air pollution has a negative impact on human health (exposure to tobacco smoke or high levels of air pollution).
Symptoms and diagnosis
The following are some of the most common signs and symptoms of middle ear infection:
- An earache is caused by a sensation of pressure or obstruction
- Earache is a painful sensation in the ear that can be acute, dull, or throbbing in nature.
- Hearing is muffled.
- ‘Runny’ ear is a term used to describe discharge from the ear.
- Ear ringing is a common complaint (tinnitus)
- A temperature of 38°C or above is considered a high fever.
- Headache
- Irritability
- Dizziness or a sense of being off-balance
- Vomiting and diarrhea
Symptoms of an ear infection include excessive sobbing or grizzling, ear touching, and/or ear drainage. An older youngster may exhibit these symptoms or complain of ear pain.
Children with an ear infection or difficulties hearing should be seen by a doctor. Children with an ear injury, hearing loss, or language delay are likely to be sent to an ENT expert (otolaryngologist).
An otoscope is specialist equipment with a light and magnifying lens that looks inside the ear to detect fluid behind the eardrum. A pneumatic otoscope allows the doctor to softly blow air on the eardrum. The air puff should move the eardrum. The eardrum moves very little or hardly at all if the middle ear is full of fluid.
Symptoms of Middle Ear Infections include Earaches. Other reasons for obstruction or earache include ear wax buildup, altitude, and air pressure fluctuations.
Preventing Ear Infections
While most kids have ear infections, parents can help avoid them by:
- Breastfeeding till 6 months old may help reduce ear infections.
- Keep your kids away from smoking. Do not smoke in your house or automobile.
- Always feed your infant with his head up. Neither supporting the bottle nor resting flat should be used. The formula can infect the middle ear.
- Never leave a bottle in the crib for the infant.
- Verify your child’s vaccines.
- Avoid giving your child a pacifier if they have acute otitis media.
- Prepare your youngster for cold and wet weather.
Treating Ear Infections
- Your doctor’s antibiotics
- Pain relief with acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Ask your doctor about the over-the-counter drug dose.
- Follow-up checks are critical to ensure the middle ear fluid has cleared.
What can be happened in the long term?
The majority of ear infections are self-healing, although they might return. An ear infection can lead to these significant complications:
- loss of hearing
- Delay in verbal communication in children
- inflammation of the mastoid bone (an infection of the mastoid bone in the skull)
- a bacterial infection of the brain and spinal cord (a bacterial infection of the membranes covering the brain and spinal cord)
- an eardrum that has been ruptured
References
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28562283/